Ohio State safety Caleb Downs arrived in Columbus after spending one year at the University of Alabama. He left via the transfer portal, but how he ultimately found his way to Ohio State has remained a lesser-discussed topic.
Ohio State S Caleb Downs Discusses Transfer From Alabama
When Downs left the Crimson Tide for the Buckeyes, many people were surprised. In their estimation, players do not often leave Alabama. Yet Downs did. In an interview on the “I AM ATHLETE” podcast, the two-time unanimous All-American safety shared his side of the story.
“I went there to learn from Coach Saban, and when he retired, it was like a gut punch,” Downs said. “Like, I didn’t see that coming. We had to adjust off of that and make a decision off that. So, I took a couple days to figure out what we were going to do and figure out who they hired. decided to get in the portal. Didn’t really want to learn a bunch of new people. I always liked Ohio State out of high school, and I knew the coaches here.”
From Downs’ perspective, he committed to Alabama to play for Saban. When the coach retired, Downs decided to leave. His emphasis on familiarity stands out. The safety comes from a football family. Downs’ brother, Josh, plays slot receiver for the Indianapolis Colts.
His uncle, Dre Bly, won a Super Bowl with the St. Louis Rams and is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. Under those circumstances, Downs appeared uninterested in starting over under new head coach Kalen DeBoer.
Downs ultimately landed at Ohio State, where he played 44 games across two seasons. During that span, he recorded 257 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 6 interceptions. He earned honors, including Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and the Jim Thorpe Award, playing a critical role in winning a national title and powering a College Football Playoff run.
During Downs’ time at Ohio State, Alabama posted a 20-8 record and competed in the SEC Championship Game and the CFP. Despite those accomplishments, some fans and media members believe DeBoer has not matched the standard set by Saban.
Downs’ influence on Ohio State’s defense remained significant through the end of his career. PFSN’s CFB Defense Impact Rankings list two of the nation’s top five defenses over the past two seasons as belonging to the Buckeyes, ranking No. 4 and No. 5. Those rankings reflect both production and efficiency. With Downs declaring for the NFL Draft, his impactful college career has come to a close.
